Like landing a new skateboard trick for the first time

After my stair run in Creve Coeur earlier this afternoon, I decided to do some yoga as my cooldown stretch in the rough sand. Was able to get to and hold Sirsasana II (Tripod Headstand) for about 15 seconds or so. While I was holding the pose, I had the feeling similar to landing a skateboard trick I was working on for a couple months or so. Was also able to hit Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow/Wheel) a few weeks ago and have been working to improve it. Also improving upon my triangle pose (Trikonasana).



I wonder how many years it will take to be able to touch my hands behind my back (Gomukhasana/Cow Face)?
I wonder how many years it will take me to get to a safe full lotus (Padmasana)?

I feel like by the time I get my black bet in jiujitsu, I should be able to get into these postures.

#UgetwhatUputin

"KAIZEN" Steps in the right direction

About this time last year: I won my first and only Fortnite Battle Royale game the same day I accepted a new job at HGS.



Work Update:
Earlier last week, I accepted a promotion to a more excel & data focused role.  Although it is for the same company, it is located at a nicer building with free lunch catering 3 times a week with some kegs and free snacks. They have a gym in the adjacent building but I haven't been got a chance to check it out yet. A good plan is to get there an hour early to workout at the gym before workAlthough I lose my work-from-home day (which enabled me to train @10 and do laundry/chores in the afternoon), I am gaining free lunches, an extra 5K a year, and was able to negotiate an extra 5 days of vacation time. This is also good for my resume as it will document "continuous improvement" that companies look for.


Jiujitsu Update:
Last month I was able to get down 149 lbs for a tournament and had a couple of great matches. I received my first strip on my blue belt, but still a lot of things to work on. It's somewhat paradoxical that preparing for a tournament will get you in the healthiest shape of your life just to risk all those gains by redlining the body for a few matches in a tournament. I have a tournament in Austin,TX in late April & another tournament two weeks later in May. Both are EBI rules so the prep is going  be the same for both. I am experimenting with a pescaterian diet in order to be at a healthy 143 lbs.
I went to HQ to train yesterday and was able to get some good training and advice from from Todd Fox. I plan on going to HQ on Saturdays more often.
http://www.toddafox.com/home.html


Yoga Update:
I was searching for a podcast in order to improve my physical yoga practice but ended finding the philosophy of Vedanta. Since I am familiar and enjoy the spoken works of Alan Watts and Dandapani, these Vedanta podcast makes a lot of sense to me and have furthered my interest these philosophical inquiries about life, god, the universe, and everything.
My physical practice of yoga is more consistent. I did about 20 days of yoga in January and currently practicing 4-5 times a week at the studio. I have enjoyed the benefits of being more relaxed, improved posture, and improved flexibility. It's "my jam" and invested $800 for unlimited training for the rest of the year. Next year, I plan on taking the teacher training course to learn how to program a flow and hopefully get the privilege of helping/teaching someone. If anything, learning more about yoga is in itself a good enough benefit.


Reflections & Intentions:
Thank god for the lessons that I learned from jiujitsu. It has taught me patience and to embrace/enjoy what most people incorrectly define as the "grind". It has showed me that as long as you are consistent with your practice, you will improve in time. It has also taught me not to be overwhelmed/daunted the length of time it takes to gain proficiency. A conversation with a friend from the gym, Eric, re-enforced that after spending years training BJJ it has put a new perspective on how to approach learning a new art/concept/skill.

I will use the Japanese word "kaizen", oftenly used in business/logistics, to replace the negative connotation associated with it.
When derived: Kai = Change & Zen = Good/Better.
"Embrace the Kaizen!"


My intention is to set up my weekday schedule as such:

Wake up around 5:30 AM
Arrive at the gym around 6AM
Start work around 7PM
Lunch/Gym around noon
Leave work by 4PM
Yoga/MMA/Open mat @ 430PM
Sleep around 11PM.

2018 Year in Review/2019 Plans

Comparison is the thief of joy. However when used correctly, it is tool that can be used to see whether one is going the right direction.

This time last year I was grinding to make a buck serving tables at Table 3. I was making decent cash but it is inconsistent and I was good but still pretty green as a server - (Literally 4 stripe white-belt).

I was starting to pay off my debts and was able to save a few hundred bucks. 

Was job searching and had been through to many phone interviews and a few face-to-face interviews. However nothing was catching. I was training more consistently and did some tournaments, one at the bluebelt level. 

So this year, I started a website to beef up my resume, and accepted a job at HGS. The pay is lower than what I was used to for an office job but I needed to get out of the service industry and needed more cash. Payed off my credit card & bank line of credit, almost finished paying off my car, and started to make a dent into my student loans. I gained 15-20 pounds but I am working my way back down and slowly improving my cardio. Some of it was muscle though.

Still getting injuries that take away a few days to a few weeks of training, but thankfully I okay at the moment although I strained my neck Wednesday night. Been working on flexibility and have been doing more yoga and will be participating in "YogaPalooza" - I am shooting to get about 20 sessions of yoga in January. Good thing I am mentally prepared to put in the time and enjoy the grind :).

I have my workout schedule set with 3-4 BJJ sessions and 5 Yoga sessions a week. I will use my lunch break at work to add cardio/active recovery sessions. I downloaded a calorie counting app and
and will try to go down to 145. My focus has never been stronger. If I can jog in the freezing cold like I did earlier around Creve Coeur Park, I can definite lose the fat, gain the cardio, and gain the flexibility.

"It's not whose good. It's whose left." - Chris Hauter.

I am focusing my training so that 50 years from today I will be able to write a blog post/podcast about how I trained/taught BJJ or yoga earlier that day/week :).

Lessons from bubbling a poker tournament and how it relates to job searching and BJJ.

Will be traveling to Austin in November for a few days. I intend to do some exploring, checking out some music, and some jiujitsu as well. Going with a couple people that I train with at my gym so I know I am in good company.

Had an interview for a Data Specialist position and is just waiting to hear if I am the candidate that they chose. They are based in France and they mentioned that I would travel there (if selected) during the interview phase. I had a good feeling about it and praying I get this. Although, I have found myself less religious in the traditional sense, the positive habits and lessons from religion(s) are beneficial. Praying is one of these habits. It puts one in a mental state that allows a phenomena, no matter how abstract, to be possible in our head. This programs the mind to better recognize the phenomena which allows one to seize the opportunity when it occurs. Einstein's quote "imagination is greater than knowledge" rings true.

A lesson I learned from listening "Fighter and the Kid" is that a job interview is like auditioning for a part in movie: you do everything on your end to best fit that role but in the end the decision is not up to you. At this point I have interviewed and been rejected so many times that my perspective have turned from something as negatively as to something positive. I remember hearing someone say that if you make to the interview to the people you will be directly working with/for that you are already qualified for the job. This portion is to determine whether you are someone they would want to work with and vice-versa. It actually gives me hope knowing I am on the right track and now have the perspective that this is like bubbling in poker.

Bubbling in a poker tournament is losing right before being "in the money". To the beginner poker player or one who does not play a lot, losing in this manner feels worse than losing early as put forth more time and effort but got nothing to show for it. If this happens a few tournaments in a row, this could be devastating. However, professional tournament players considered this a good thing. Why? Although playing timid will allow you survive and "cash", usually your chips will dwindle as you are folding more often. When the bubble is over, your chip stack is not a big as it could be. When the other players are playing timid, this is the spot to play more risky in order accumulate enough chips to go deep in tournament. Since the payout difference from placing in the top 3 of a big tournament compared to just "cashing" is huge, bubbling in a tournament is actually is a step closer to winning big. In the long-run, one big win will more than compensate for all the "cashes" that could have been. 

This is philosophically the same as attempting a submission getting close to locking it up, but having it passed and getting submitted yourself. I used to get frustrated that I didn't lock it in. I thought that the move had backfired and that the move doesn't work and that I should give up on it... In reality the opposite is true: I am getting so proficient that I am able to put myself in a position to lock it in. Just getting to that part is a win in itself. Every time that somebody passes my guard because tried a submission and failed is a step closer to getting that move locked in. 

So right now, in the tournament of job searching, I am on the bubble. I am putting myself in a position to go deep and win. If I do not get the job, I know I am on the right path and just need to keep on grinding.  Yes, it will suck to not get this particular job, but I cannot be discouraged to apply to others. I can feel it. I am so close. I just need to keep trying and grinding and one day I'll lock it up.



Podcast of the moment:
Outside Perspective by Adam Meredith

My personal website:
Dataconsolidators.com

Today was a good day

Actually this week/month/year has been good to me... Pareto Optimally.

Received a call for a good job offer the same day I won my first only win on Fortnite.
I currently have Friday as my work-from-home day. It gives me extra time to do chore and catch up on rest. There's punk-rock chick from a small town in Illinois who I enjoy talking to and find attractive from time-to-time. Though maaaaybe she's a lesbian.


Today: 
Got up and went to open mat. Rolled mostly with some drilling mixed in. Then learned some judo from Marquie. (Kuzushi to tai sabake)

Went to Target and got some contacts. There was a cute girl there (Amanda) who I was vibing off of. It feels good to flirt every once in a while. Maybe I'll stop by there Tuesday/call about my contacts as an excuse to talk to her and ask her out? No big deal if it doesn't work out.... but am I Thhhhiiiiirsty though?
At bread co right now and just looked at my bank statement and my Credit card as well as my credit line is completely paid off.   As well as just got paid yesterday. I'll probably just rest & play on my phone the rest of the day. Maybe I'll read. Too fucking hot to go out and run.

Nah. I'll just get a haircut.

Muay Thai for BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)

After a few years of training, gaining a better understanding of Jiujitsu has become a main focus in my life. And if you're like me, you probably incorporate other physical activities or movements in the context of Jiujitsu. We run, bike, practice wrestling & judo, or take a yoga class not necessarily to get good at that activity but in order to improve our Jiujitsu: we’ll have more cardio, have better takedowns, or be more flexible. Well, heck some of us even shrimp out of bed or perform a technical stand-up to get up from the ground - every time. The benefits of running, yoga, judo, or wrestling to improve our Jiujitsu are obvious. However, it has taken me a few years and a few conversations to realize that Muay Thai is one of the best, if not the best, physical activity to compliment Jiujitsu. 

The most obvious benefits that Muay Thai provides are the physical ones. The strength, conditioning, and flexibility benefits are great, but more importantly - the loose and ballistic movements balance out grappling's emphasis on having a tight squeeze. Focusing on the upper body: when we have somebody's back (literally) we are tightening up and squeezing to prevent escapes in the hopes of eventually submitting the other person. When focusing on the lower body: a good closed guard, triangle, or armbar is tight one. However, in Muay Thai (or any striking discipline) we want the opposite of tight and constricted muscles. Loose and relaxed muscles allow for quicker, more ballistic, and less telegraphed strikes. Focusing on the upper body, the effectiveness of being loose is most evident during a set of burners in which you throw straight jabs and crosses as fast as possible for a minute or so. You have to "let your hands go" because if you tighten up you will struggle to throw quick punches. The same principle applies when focusing on the lower body: hitting the Thai pads with fluid and powerful kicks require one to loosen hips and legs. After an hour of Muay Thai, I definitely feel the burn, but I also feel great. My muscles and joints from my ankles all the way down/up to my wrists feel loose and relaxed afterwards. The warmups and drills in Muay Thai have effectively “shaken it out” the tightness from grappling. (In a Tim Ferris podcast with Pavel Tsatsouline, Pavel goes into better detail on "shaking it out" as an effective way to help muscles recover.) 

There are other benefits that may be subtle at first, but comparing the similarities between grappling and striking in terms of range will help clarify these more concepts. Three fundamental concepts learned in first lessons of striking are range management, footwork, and creating angles of attack. If they are not in range to kick or punch you, they are not in range to trip, grab, take you down, or pull guard. Knowing what will not work in a certain range is just as important as knowing what is likely work. The distance from your opponent will help determine whether shooting double, a single, a low single, or not shooting at all is the best option. The footwork fundamentals (proper weight distribution,pivoting, not crossing your feet, etc)  used to enter and exit striking range are similar and can be applied to enter and exit shooting range. The same can be said about creating and attacking not straight on, but from an angle. A wrestler confirmed this to me by showing me how takedowns from the side are harder and more awkward to defend than takedowns you see coming head on. The concepts range, footwork, and angles are heavily emphasized striking but they also very applicable to BJJ, especially since these fundamentals fluidly combine.       

As we move closer into striking range, we also move into hand-fighting/grip-fighting range. As stated above, and because I think it is worth repeating: if you are in range to punch, you are in range to grab. A training partner demonstrated how he was able to repeatedly and easily grab my lapels in order to take me down or trip me from a standing position. He used the concept of boxing combos as way to get grips. In this specific case it was simple two-punch combo a straight jab to rear uppercut combo. He simply replaced the strikes in the combo with a collar grab. The main purpose of initial “jab” (high collar-grab) was to find range and distract. If it was not defended, the grip is taken. Most of the time this was defended and the “uppercut” was thrown to get my collar on the other side. Drilling combos and shadow boxing can be incorporated into BJJ simply by replacing punches with grabs and leg kicks & knees with trips. 

There are many other ways that Muay Thai, and other striking arts or activities for that matter, can help improve our Jiujitsu. I hope this helps us in our journey and that even more connections between BJJ and other activities will be investigated and shared. 

~Namaste 

Trip to Philippines

Went to the Philippines for my uncle's funeral (Tito Aris). Wow, what can I say... He was great man, great teacher, and role model. Always calm, collected, and very intellectual. Taught me how to play chess, scrabble, and other games & puzzles. Rest in peace Tito Aris.



Song of the moment brought to you by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2zurZig4L8


Personal website:
Dataconsolidators.com